“Lord Ransdale won’t mind if you had her first, as long as you remain discreet.”
William jumped up in outrage. “How dare you speak about your own sister in such a fashion?”
“How am I supposed to speak about her?” Lord Wakefield demanded. “My sister, a lady, ran off to the rookeries to obtain employment. She has defiled herself.”
Hawthorne stepped forward and asked, “How did you learn where Miss Holbrooke was?”
Lord Wakefield smirked. “Georgie is not as loved as she thought.”
“What do you mean by that?” Hawthorne pressed.
“Georgie convinced the household staff that she was horribly mistreated, and they fell for her lies,” Lord Wakefield said, “just as you did.”
“Did you dismiss them?” Hawthorne asked.
Lord Wakefield rose. “I did. I got rid of the whole worthless lot, and I refused to give any of them references.” He walked over to the drink cart and picked up the decanter. “I will not have insubordination in my own home.”
Lord Wakefield refilled his drink, then picked up the glass and continued. “I wanted to be civil about this, but you have left me little choice.”
William scoffed. “We are far past civil, as you threatened me early on.”
“Yes, I did, and you did not have the good sense to believe me,” Lord Wakefield said. “I know how much this little orphanage means to you and Georgie, which leads me to believe that you will do whatever it takes to keep those filthy urchins safe.”
“You will leave the girls out of this,” William growled.
“Or what? You will go to the magistrate and report me?” Lord Wakefield asked. “No one would believe you, and even if they did, they wouldn’t care. We are talking about abandoned children in the rookeries. They are nothing.”
“You are wrong,” William declared.
“I’m not, and it is pathetic that you care so much.” Lord Wakefield put his glass down on the tray. “If you do not return Georgie to me by tomorrow, I will kill one urchin for every day you do not deliver her.”
William’s eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Do not test me!” Lord Wakefield snapped. “You will lose.”
Hawthorne’s voice held a hardness to it as he asked, “You would kill innocent children to achieve your purposes?”
“You do not know what I am capable of,” Lord Wakefield said, his eyes sparking with fury. “I want my sister home, where she belongs.”
“Where you can force her to do your will?” William asked with a shake of his head. “I think not.”
“Then those girls’ deaths are on your hands,” Lord Wakefield stated.
William advanced towards Lord Wakefield, but he stopped when the hector retrieved a pistol from his waistband.
Lord Wakefield pointed the weapon at William. “Did you think I wouldn’t come prepared for this meeting?” he asked. “You lose, Grenton. Bring me my sister, or I might just kill you, too.”
“I will never bring her to you. I don’t care what you do to me,” William said, staring into the barrel of the gun unflinchingly.
“You are a fool, and I don’t have time for this,” Lord Wakefield stated.
William heard a pistol cock behind him and realized Hawthorne must have come armed. The man deserved a drink for his foresight.
“Put the pistol down, Wakefield, or I will shoot you,” Hawthorne commanded.
“This doesn’t concern you, Hawthorne,” Lord Wakefield said. “Just be a good lord and walk away before you are in a position where you can’t.”
“I do not take kindly to being threatened,” Hawthorne declared, “and I can promise that this will not end well for you.” He spoke his words in such a way that there was no question as to whether he would deliver on his promise.
